The fifth edition, titled REFORMULIERUNG (Reformulation), presents works from the Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf’s collection as well as selected loans from Markus Karstieß, Donja Nasseri and Peter Piller that thematically, conceptually and materially engage with art forms from past cultures and confront them with current issues.
Markus Karstieß (b. 1971 in Haan/Rhineland) studied in Jannis Kounellis’ class at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf from 1992 to 1998 and co-directed the Kunstverein Schwerte with Christian Freudenberger from 2008 to 2012. He was a visiting professor at Newcastle University in the UK in 2013 and at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich from 2014 to 2017. Since 2017, he has led the class for fine art ceramics at the Institut für Künstlerische Keramik und Glas (Institute for Ceramic and Glass Art) at the Hochschule Koblenz.
The works of Markus Karstieß are characterised by captivatingly lustrous surfaces. Kammer and Stellar Stoner both illustrate the artist’s conceptual approach, which draws on ancient ceramic processes as well as Neolithic engravings. Karstieß explores the possibilities of his material, experimenting with firing methods and glazes at the limit of what is technically feasible.
Donja Nasseri (b. 1990 in Düsseldorf) lives and works in Düsseldorf. She studied art and education at TU Dortmund from 2011 to 2015. She then studied under Professor Mariana Castillo Deball at the Kunstakademie Münster from 2015 to 2019 and under Professor Gregor Schneider at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf from 2016 to 2021.
Changing traditions, cultures and (gender) identities represent the conceptual core of Donja Nasseri’s oeuvre, which is based primarily on photography as a repository of memory as well as as a medium of documentation and fictional manipulation. Combining photography, objects, video and language, her works oscillate between digital and traditional forms on both a technical and a material level. Her interest in ancient Egyptian culture, which is inspired in part by her own biographical connections, is reflected in her oeuvre.
Peter Piller (*1968 in Fritzlar) lebt und arbeitet in Hamburg. Von 1993 bis 2000 studierte er an der Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg, wo er 2005 eine Gastprofessur erhielt. Von 2006 bis 2018 war er Professor an der Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig und seit Oktober 2018 leitet er die Klasse für Freie Kunst an der Kunstakademie Düsseldorf.
Die künstlerische Arbeit von Peter Piller besteht darin, Fotografien zu sammeln und diese zu neuen Sinnzusammenhänge zu arrangieren, um neue Bedeutungsebenen herzustellen. Seit einiger Zeit interessiert sich Peter Piller für prähistorische Höhlenkunst, die er auf Reisen nach Südfrankreich und Nordspanien fotografiert. Er geht der Frage nach, wie die Beschäftigung mit steinzeitlicher Kunst den Blick auf die Alltagswelt verändert.